The little ones underground.

So early this morning I sat myself in the car and drove to the big Super market to buy some mustard, It’s amazing how many varieties of mustard there is. Especially for one that doesn’t eat mustard unless it’s on a Christmas ham. I finally chose one called Nisse’s home-made mustard but I doubt this Nisse stood at home and made all those jars with mustard to be honest, unless he lives at the factory that makes it🙂

I’ve just put the ham in the oven for the first time and now it will stay there for most probably four hours, it is a bit tricky to keep a steady temperature in the fire heated oven but I’m pretty good at it now days. I also bought some extra fire logs to have in the back of my car because the wind gusts were so strong that like always my little car was tossed around like it was a toy. The drive home was so much more steady with those extra kilos in the back. I bought some extra milk as well so I can make loads of rice porridge too🙂

Not all beings are nasty like the ones I’ve described so far, some can be rather nice too and talk with the people who lives on a farm or cottage, like the little ones underground for instance, also called Vättar. Unlike most beings they tend to like humans and often live rather close to them, like under a tree or even beneath the house itself and then preferable directly beneath the open fire or stove. In those cases they live beneath the house they tend to come up in to the house during nights to dance around the stove🙂

The tree is dead since long but still full of life.

It was full of mushrooms all the way to the top.

Unlike their close relatives, the gnomes, they are no hermits. On the contrary, they have usually big families like we used to have. They aren’t big at all, just about the size of a rat and they are usually dressed in black or grey clothes. They tend to keep to themselves but since they live that close to us it isn’t unusual they are seen every now and again and of course there can be conflicts between us as well. But instead of punishing us they rather have a chat with us.

For instance, if they live beneath a newly built stable they horse poop might find its way down to them, not anything anyone would like. But if the stable is moved fast they tend to reward the humans. The gift might look a bit odd, like a pile of leafs or some crooked twigs. But if one takes really good care of the gift it will soon turn in to gold money and gemstones. One must always warn vättarna if one is about to toss out hot water on the ground so they can move to another place. But if one should annoy them they will punish us, like biting us in the nose when we’re trying to fall asleep or trip us when we’re out walking. If we have really offended them they can be more cruel and give us all kinds of diseases.

A vätte can take the form of a usual animal if we would come too close to them, like a rodent or a big toad, so if You should pass an unusually big toad on Your property it might just be a vätte🙂

Have a great day!

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8 thoughts on “The little ones underground.”

Hi Christer, I have been falling behind on blog reading while in NJ and visiting my mother in the hospital and now rehab. I do manage to get to a coffee shop with wi-fi access in the morning, like today, but have been reading emails and replying to them and doing a short post. Sometimes, this leaves little time to read and comment on all my favorite bloggers recent posts. Thanks for your well wishes and frequent comments. I would look for that pile of leaves in a stable and treat it VERY well!

Hi Christer,
The little guys that live under the floors in my house ARE mice. Not vättarna.
I don’t have rats, though.

You might like The Wee Free Men, a Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. I won’t call it a fantasy novel because it’s not like ordinary fantasy. More like a Hitchhiker’s Guide to Fantasy novel. The wee men are the Nac Mac Fleegles. They paint themselves blue and love to drink, fight and steal cows. After that it gets weird. The Nac Mac Fleegles are a favorite of mine.

I didn’t know Nisse made mustard. But if they are mythological creatures, wouldn’t massive mustard making abilities be among their mythological powers? Or perhaps they make illusory mustard. You just think there are masses of mustard jars but there is really only one and the rest disappear on Christmas right when you need to put it on the Yul ham. I could go on but I think I better not.😀

It’s raining by the bucketful and its cold and damp. I had to travel about 35 miles north to visit my brother. As I was driving I began to notice that the trees were looking suspiciously crystalline. They had had freezing rain earlier in the day and it hadn’t yet melted. It had warmed up a bit by the time I got there, though, so it was not a hazardous drive except for the last minute holiday shoppers. They were all crazed.🙂

I must find out more about The Wee Free Men, sounds like something I would love🙂🙂

Well I think You might mix up Niss with the Yule Gnome’s helpers, the Gnome Nissar🙂 I’m pretty sure this Nisse, who makes the mustard is just an ordinary mustard making guy🙂 But from what I’ve learned about any beings over here is that if they give You a gift it stays, it never vanish after a while. I checked if my mustard still is where I pleced it and yes it is🙂

Lots of rain but way to warm to get freezing rain hgere thankfully🙂

Last minute holiday shoppers are dangerous, they usually are so desperate that they gladely would kill people to get what they want🙂🙂🙂

Very cool photos.
I have the metal shed still in the box in the back of my van. It got so cold so fast that I never got it out and now THAT weighs down my van.
If I have those little things under the houses and they dare to come inside, my cats would eat them!
I bought some great sweet mustard that was “seasonal” at the store and now I can’t seem to find it again!😦
and it was fabulous, I should have bought several when I had the chance.